


The Power Within

by MoonCat163



Series: The Power of Three [1]
Category: Loki (Marvel) Fandom, Loki Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Lab Accident with Power Stone, No (y/n) etc, Reader Insert, Reader jailbreaks Loki from Midgard, Teleport/Telepathy/Telekinesis, infinity stone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22897174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCat163/pseuds/MoonCat163
Summary: You were an assistant in a Stark lab, where a group of SHIELD scientists were tasked with studying the Power Stone. They accidentally triggered its power; in the aftermath of the explosion, only you were left alive.Now you’re living in a remote Alaskan town, trying to adjust to the new powers that the Stone gave you, and wanting nothing more than to be left alone.One evening, after you get home from work, Bucky and Natasha show up on your porch, at the behest of Tony, and they bring Loki with them.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Series: The Power of Three [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760221
Comments: 28
Kudos: 137





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as something silly, but Loki wasn’t having any part of it. 
> 
> I heard a song on the radio that was my first prompt, but couldn’t make it work to my satisfaction; so here we are.
> 
> I don’t know whether I’ll add any more to it, but I do hope that it’s not too awful 😳

You were tired. 

No, more like _exhausted_ by the time you were able to leave your part time job to head home. Before you could leave town though, you had to stock up on groceries, in case you couldn’t get out for a few days, as it had started snowing.

“That should do it.”

Seth, the bagger from the grocery store, closed the hatch on your SUV after he’d finished loading your purchases. 

“Drive carefully, and keep her between the ditches,” he said, as you walked toward the driver side door. 

You waved at him before shutting the door and buckling in. After starting the engine, you turned the radio up just a bit, listening for weather alerts between the classic pop songs on the radio. 

The weather had taken a downturn from the previous day; more snow wasn’t expected for two more days, but it had appeared earlier than was forecast. 

“They can’t be right every time,” you muttered to yourself while putting the car in gear and slowly pulling out of the parking lot. 

You didn’t mind driving in snow most days, but driving after sunset presented its own challenges. The drive to your cabin was a forty-five minute trip on a good day; this was not a good day so you expected the trip to be longer than normal. 

You’d been in the tiny Alaskan town just shy of two years, and with the help of the locals, had learned how to handle snow and drive in it. You still didn’t like driving in it after dark, because the wildlife tended to start moving at night, and you had no desire to have a moose or grizzly bear end up riding shotgun for you. 

You'd seen what a moose could do to a car but didn’t want to experience that for yourself. The townsfolk had also been very clear and adamant that you should always carry a gun with you, in case you had to defend yourself from an animal, or put one out of its misery if you happened to hit it. 

They didn’t know that you could likely handle either situation without the use of a firearm. You arrived in the town after fleeing from the East coast. Some of the residents may have suspected something was wrong when you never wanted to talk about friends or family, but as long as they weren’t in danger, they didn’t ask too many questions. 

While concentrating on your driving, there was movement in your peripheral vision. At first you thought it was a bear, but that was dispelled when you made out a decidedly human face on the creature that had emerged from the side of the narrow road. 

You screamed while turning the wheel to try to avoid hitting whatever it was, and you felt a slight bump as you failed to avoid it altogether.

“Crap, Crap, Crap!!”

The car slid to a stop when you jammed on the brakes, then shuddered when you threw it into “Park” before you’d completely stopped. Frantic, you searched the glovebox and center console for the flashlight you kept in the vehicle. 

“Put it back in the same spot!” You scolded yourself outloud when you finally found it. 

You exited the car quickly and almost fell flat on your backside when your winter boots found a patch of ice. Once you got your balance, you moved more cautiously toward the rear of the vehicle to search for whatever you’d hit.

There was nothing in the road or near your car, so you walked back to where you thought the figure first lurched out of the shadows. After checking both sides of the road and the ditches, you were perplexed. You knew that you’d seen and hit something, something that looked to be human, but there was nothing to be found, not even a mark on your car. 

You decided that you’d call the police once you got home, and come out again during daylight just to be sure that no one needed help. Once home, you checked your car again under better lighting but found no damage. You reported the incident to the local police, in case someone had been injured. 

It took several trips to get your groceries into the house, then you brought in firewood in order to keep the fire going in case the power went out. The generator would come on if that happened, but you didn’t want to use too much fuel unless necessary. 

Just as you sat down to eat your dinner, a knock sounded at the door. It startled you, since the cabin wasn’t in near proximity to anyone else. You weren’t expecting a visit from the police unless they found something, so you palmed the pistol that you always kept on you. 

Another knock came as you quietly moved through the living room toward the door. Before opening it, you flipped on the porch light, then took a look through the peephole. Your forehead rested against the wood for a moment before you unlocked it to pull it open. 

Your gaze went to the faces of the three people that stood there. Two of them were familiar to you, but you’d never seen the third one. As you silently studied his face, he shifted impatiently. 

_“You dare?”_ He hissed. 

He’d felt your mental touch when you gently reached out with your telepathy; you could have invaded his mind with no effort at all, but rarely did that unless absolutely necessary. The brief touch told you what he was, even if it couldn’t tell you _who_ he was. 

He was strong, both mentally and physically, and there was something that he kept deeply hidden. This “something” made you curious, but not enough to let him into your house. 

“I don’t know you,” you said, before looking at the other two. “And whatever it is, the answer is ‘no.’”

With that, you stepped back so that you could close the door. When the stranger put out a hand to hold it open, your reaction wasn’t one that he expected. He found himself and his two companions back at their vehicle, which was parked at the end of your driveway. They hadn’t so much as stumbled when you teleported them away from your house. 

“I asked you to leave her to me!” The female of the group rounded on him angrily.

“She dared to invade my mind!”

“If she’d done that, you would be dead!” 

The group walked back to the porch, with the woman knocking again. Once again, you opened the door but didn’t invite them in. 

“I don’t imagine that you warned him?” You asked, quietly. 

“He was warned,” the other man replied. “Are you going to let us come in, at least to get warm?”

“Bucky, the cold doesn’t bother you any more than it bothers Steve, so don’t try to play on my sympathies,” you told him. “Why did he send you and Natasha instead of coming after me himself?”

“Can we come in?” Natasha asked, softly. 

You wanted to close the door, you really did, but you found that you couldn’t turn them away, even though it would probably be in your best interest to do so. You turned to go back to your meal, which was likely cold by now, leaving them to enter the house and close the door behind them. 

“Who’s that?” You asked, indicating the tall man who still appeared to be angry. 

“This is Loki…” Natasha started to introduce him but you interrupted her when you recognized the name. 

“Ah, yes. Loki of Asgard,” you said. “Thor’s your brother, right?”

Loki had started to respond, but then realized how you’d phrased the question. He was surprised for just a brief moment before he nodded. 

“You hit my car, too, didn’t you?” 

“It was more the other way around,” he replied, stiffly. 

“My bad.” You shrugged. “Perhaps you shouldn’t be lurking in the ditches.”

Loki bristled again, causing Natasha to shoot him a glare. He kept his peace but she could tell that it was a near thing. She wondered again why Tony had insisted that Loki accompany them. She knew that Loki would be able to confirm whether you lied to them, but she couldn’t imagine that Tony wouldn’t know that he would antagonize you, which was the last thing they wanted. 

“There’s beef stew in the crockpot, if you’re hungry. I have tea, coffee, water or alcohol if you prefer,” you told them, while sitting at the table again. “I’m limited on groceries, as I wasn’t expecting company.”

Natasha went to the cabinet to get soup bowls for herself and Bucky, then took down a third one when Loki nodded at her unspoken question. You ignored them while you stared into your bowl as you ate slowly, but you could feel Loki’s attention on you. You laid the pistol on the table within easy reach. 

Bucky helped himself to some whiskey from the bottle that was on the table, then silently poured more into your glass. When Natasha sat down, she looked you over and saw that you looked tired, and that the grey streak in your hair was more pronounced. 

“May I?” She asked, indicating the pistol. 

You nodded and then put the holster with it. Natasha holstered it before handing it to Bucky. 

“You’re tired,” she said, softly. 

“Always,” you replied. 

It took a lot of effort to not teleport, read someone’s mind, or move things telekinetically; you had to make a conscientious effort not to do any of those so that the residents in the small town would be none the wiser. Those three were relatively easy to keep tamped down, but it was your ability to control lightning that was more difficult to hide, especially if you became upset. 

“Come home,” she responded, just as softly. 

“You know that I won’t do that,” you told her, before fixing your gaze on Loki. “Why were you on the side of the road?”

“To get you to stop,” he replied. 

“I stopped. What would your next move have been?” You asked, sitting back in your chair to give him your undivided attention. “Were you going to throw a sack over my head and shove me into your car?”

“The thought had crossed my mind,” he said. “But I was overridden.”

“You should listen to them.” You scrubbed a hand across your face before drinking your whiskey. 

When you reached for the bottle, Bucky pushed it away, knowing that alcohol mixed with your powers made for a bad combination. He wasn’t sure how much alcohol you’d had already and didn’t want to throw fuel on the fire. You scowled at him before flexing your fingers slightly. The bottle flew into your hand, and you poured more for yourself. 

“Don’t do that,” you told him. 

You got up to put your bowl into the sink, then sat back down to finish your drink. 

“Are you staying here tonight?” You asked Natasha. 

“We’re not staying,” Loki replied before she could respond. “The plan was to return to the Tower with you. So, you _will_ be coming with us.”

“Oh?” You said. “And who’s going to make me?”

“I will.”

“You and what army?” Your voice was deceptively calm.

“I do not require -“

His voice trailed off when a silver sphere of energy appeared in your hand, then grew bigger when you pressed it between your palms. Bucky and Natasha both slid their chairs away from the table before they shot to their feet. 

_“Stop!”_ Natasha called your name in an effort to draw your attention away from Loki. 

_“Get out of my house,”_ you hissed, angrily. 

“That’s impressive, little one, but you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Loki said. 

“Neither do you.”

The dining table flipped onto its side, out of the way, as you stood, eyes fixed on him as he also stood. The slight smirk on his face was enough to infuriate you to the point where you wanted to _hurt_ him. 

The sphere in your hands grew even larger before tendrils from it launched toward Loki, and circled his wrists, upper arms and then his neck. The harder he fought against the restraints, the more you fought to keep him tethered. More tendrils wrapped around his chest then knees as you attempted to take him to the ground. 

Natasha continued to call your name while getting as close as she dared. Bucky also looked for a way to stop you that wouldn’t get them all killed. Neither of them had ever seen you so angry and lost to reason; you actually had your teeth bared as you concentrated on Loki. 

Finally, another sphere of energy surged from your hands and hit Loki in the chest. It knocked him backwards, and you took the advantage and yanked his legs out from under him. He fell heavily into a counter, then slid to the floor. 

Once you had him down, you took a deep breath while letting the energy surge lapse. Loki remained where he was, his expression impassive as he stared at you. 

“I’m going to bed. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” you finally said. “There’s a spare bedroom upstairs and the couch folds out to another bed. I’ll leave you to sort it out. I’m not sharing my room.”

You left with the partial bottle of whiskey tucked under your arm. Once they heard your door close, Loki smiled before getting to his feet. 

“I like her,” he announced, with a chuckle. 

Bucky and Natasha looked at each other in confusion. 

“She just knocked you on your ass and you _like_ her?” Bucky asked, incredulously. 

“Hmmm.” Loki busied himself with dusting off his clothes, then smoothing his hair down. “Will she go quietly?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking that’s gonna be a ‘NO,’” Bucky replied. 

— — —

Once you were alone in your room, you shakily sat on the side of the bed. Tears brimmed your eyes and you angrily wiped them away before tilting the whiskey bottle to your lips. 

It was unlike you to have such a strong reaction to a perfect stranger. You knew that if Loki had been less powerful, you could easily have killed him. 

This was the main reason that you’d exiled yourself, to prevent this type of thing from happening. While you could control the lightning to a certain extent, your emotions tended to get the best of you, and you didn’t want to risk hurting anyone by accident.

 _Stupid Power Stone,_ you thought, thinking back to that fateful day two years ago that had seen an upheaval in your life. 

— —

_Scientists who hadn’t known what they were dealing with caused the lab accident that changed you forever. They had attempted to learn the secrets of the beautiful purple stone, and had failed catastrophically. At the time, no one knew what it was, until Thor had a vision about the five Infinity Stones._

_They would be careful, they said. Nothing could go wrong, they insisted._

_At the time, you were an assistant to one of the scientists tasked with studying the stone. Your job was to take notes and get coffee. You were not to express any misgivings about the research. Just take the notes and get the coffee._

_On THE day, you were taking notes as usual while the scientists worked near the Power Stone. They were trying to activate it without touching it, since they had been warned by Thor that no mortal could wield the stone or its power._

_Something had happened that day, but you couldn’t remember anything other than a bright, purplish flash, then coming to with Thor grasping your arms as you struggled to sit up._

_The scientists were gone, presumably disintegrated, in the aftermath of the explosion._

_You alone were left alive in the decimated lab._

**_The Stone had liked her._ **

_You had overheard Thor and Tony Stark talking while you were in the infirmary. They thought you were sleeping, and felt they were far enough away so that you couldn’t hear them._

_An Infinity Stone had liked you so much that it not only didn’t kill you, it changed you so drastically that you still weren’t adjusted._

_The Stone had jumpstarted the telepathy, and the first few days after you regained consciousness had nearly driven you insane. You were able to hear the thoughts of the people around you, maybe even the entire building, but didn’t know how to turn it off._

_The telekinesis manifested next; you’d thrown a doctor through the observation window of your room when he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer your questions._

_The first time you teleported had terrified you. You ended up on the promenade that Tony and Thor used as takeoff and landing pads. It was freezing cold, and you were wearing thin pajamas, and didn’t have on shoes or socks._

_You heard Tony swearing just before he and Thor approached you. You were angry at Tony, since it was his lab that hosted the research, although the scientists worked for SHIELD. Deep down, you knew that it wasn’t fair to blame him, but someone was to blame since those scientists had managed to kill themselves and could no longer face the consequences._

_When you had turned to face the two men, you found that Tony stayed back to let Thor move closer to you. You didn’t know until afterwards that lightning sparked from your fingertips, and that your eyes glowed with a purple light._

_Thor gently draped his red cape around you after noticing that your teeth were chattering before he guided you back toward the penthouse._

_“I don’t have clearance to be up here,” you had whispered._

_“I won’t tell if you won’t,” Thor replied, while rubbing warmth into your arms._

_“Alright,” you responded, nodding shakily. “Thank you.”_

— — 

The next morning at the cabin, you were awakened when a loud noise from the living room or kitchen startled you. 

You were slightly hungover; luckily there hadn’t been too much whiskey left in the bottle that you took to bed with you. Slowly, you rolled to your back and rubbed your face with both hands. 

You’d gone to sleep thinking about the Power Stone and dreaming about the accident and the aftermath. You laid still, staring at the ceiling while your thoughts raced around. 

You knew you should find a place to start over before things got too complex, and before Natasha and Bucky made their move to take you back to New York. You had cash stashed in your room, enough to start over almost anywhere. 

The money came from your part time job; each week, you’d take the check to the bank and get cash. Your account held more money that you never touched, and at the beginning of each month, more would be deposited. You suspected that the money came from Tony Stark, and you were determined not to touch it. 

You’ve probably been here too long anyway. The townsfolk had noticed strangers in town, and Seth was kind enough to tell you privately that they’d been asking about you.

You’d thought that a small hamlet in Alaska was far enough off anyone’s radar to allow you to live in peace. Perhaps it _was_ a small world, after all, and you’d had almost two years of quiet. 

You debated just picking a spot on a map, then trying to teleport yourself there. If you succeeded, good; if not, you were certain that there were worse ways to die. 

When you emerged from your room, showered, dressed and with your cash in a money belt that was hidden under your shirt, two of your houseguests were already in the kitchen. Natasha stood at the stove, scrambling eggs while Bucky made toast. 

Loki stood in front of the three bookcases which were overflowing with books, perusing the collection. 

“Feel free to take any that you like,” you told him. “I’ve read them all.”

With that, you picked up your tablet and sat on the sofa to browse likely locations for you to try to ‘port to. You needed an out-of-the way place, where a new arrival wouldn’t alarm any locals. 

Mountains or plains? Cold or warm? The possibilities were endless, of course, but you did need to choose wisely. 

You were unaware that Loki watched intently when you got up to move toward the table once Natasha finished cooking. 

“Agent Romanoff.”

His voice was directly behind you, then his arms slid around you. His hands gripped your wrists to hold you arms crossed over your chest as you started to fight him. Natasha was quick to inject a sedative into the side of your neck, and Loki held you until he was sure that you were unconscious.

_Traitors._

They all heard your voice in their heads as you slowly went limp in Loki’s arms. 

— — —

“Damn it,” Bucky swore from the backseat of the SUV that Natasha drove. “I thought we were going to wait to see if we could _gently_ talk her into coming back!”

“Plans change,” Loki replied, nonchalantly. “She was ready to teleport out of there.”

“Well, she’s fighting the sedative and with this snow on the roads, we’ll never get back to the quinjet before it wears off.”

Bucky held you in his lap, and even though the sedative was enough to knock _him_ out, he could feel the tension in your body. You would occasionally twitch, so he spoke softly, soothingly.

_Liars. Deceivers. Don’t take me back. Kill me, please..._

They all heard your mental voice. When your fingertips began to emit sparks, Bucky swore again before Loki reached over to place his hand on your forehead. After a moment, you relaxed against Bucky and he could tell that you were fully unconscious. 

“How did you know she was getting ready to escape?” Bucky asked. 

“She has paper money tied to her waist.”

“What?!” 

Bucky found the money belt and unfastened it. “Geez.”

— — —

“Is the room ready?” Bucky asked as he carried you off the quinjet.

“As ready as it will ever be,” Tony replied, although his expression mirrored his doubts. 

He led the way to the containment unit that had been prepared for just this occasion. He’d wanted a way to keep you from hurting anyone, or yourself, until they could figure out this Power Stone thing. 

Loki and Natasha followed, with both keeping alert in case you suddenly came to. Bucky put you on the bed, then covered you up before leaving the room. Once everyone was out, Tony had Jarvis close the doors.

“Brother?” Thor motioned toward Loki, who nodded before he worked a spell that would keep the glass from shattering if you tried to break through. No one could get in or out while the spell was intact. 

Loki had just finished his incantation when you sat up suddenly, fully conscious. They all watched when you leaped off the bed to get to the door; when you couldn’t force it open, you tried throwing furniture at the large observation windows. The furniture bounced off the magic-reinforced glass, so you tried a different route with lightning. 

When that didn’t work, every piece of furniture was tossed in different directions when you let loose with telekinesis. Your fingertips glowed whitehot while your eyes gleamed with the unmistakable purple hue of the Power Stone. 

_Telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, the triple threat,_ as he’d called it after you had teleported to the promenade that very first time. 

Tony swore softly under his breath, uncertain how this could be fixed, or even if it _could_ be fixed. 

“Impressive, hmm?” Loki commented, while he watched intently. “So much power in a little mortal body. Will it kill her, I wonder?”

“Brother.” Thor shook his head at Loki. 

“No, it’s alright, let him talk,” Tony replied. “This is kinda my fault for allowing those idiots to play around with that thing here. She’s my employee and my responsibility.”

“I quit, remember.”

Tony met your gaze when you stood in front of him. He watched when you looked around your room, as if trying to find a weakness through which you could escape. 

“I never accepted your resignation,” he replied. “So, still employed.”

“Then I suppose that explains why my pay is still being deposited into my bank account,” you responded. “You should have left me where you found me.”

“Maybe, but there were others besides us looking for you. We couldn’t wait any longer.”

You were silent as you continued to study the windows, running a hand along the glass while you slowly walked until you stood in front of Loki. 

“I’m hungry.” 

_I like you._ _You want to get away from this realm...with guidance, I could help you. Your thoughts are there, I know what you want._

Loki shifted just slightly when you spoke to him directly. His face remained stoic, for the benefit of the others, but he could see the possibilities of your offer. When he said nothing, you turned your attention to Thor, who stood beside him. 

Thor returned your soft smile, his blue eyes reflecting his worry. He raised his hand to the glass, placing it to match yours. He had always been kind to you, even reprimanding the scientists when he felt they were being too harsh with you. 

Finally, you had enough of being stared at like a rare animal in a zoo, and gave the glass a slap that made it vibrate before you went back to the bed. 

“I’m hungry,” you said again.

— — —

Several days had passed before Tony was able to check on you. Earlier in the week everyone except Loki had been summoned to DC for a meeting, and had just returned. 

“This is new,” he commented, as Thor and Bucky joined him. 

He was shocked to see that you were levitating, cross legged, several inches above the surface of the bed. Every item in the room that wasn’t anchored down also floated in the air. 

Jarvis had been given instructions to play music if you asked, so your room literally vibrated with sound. You had him turn the volume up until the windows shuddered from the assault. The communication to the room was two-way, and after only several hours of listening, Loki had turned it off where he couldn’t hear it, but movement of the glass triggered the spell, causing no minor irritation to him. 

“Yes.” 

Loki had remained on guard and to observe; he dismissed the doctor assigned to share guard duty, not wanting anyone there who would anger you. Jarvis would record any activities that needed to be reviewed. Then he stayed awake, more or less keeping you company, although you didn’t speak to him other than to repeat your offer.

“How long has she been doing that?” Bucky asked, uneasily. 

“Two days,” Loki replied. 

“Has she eaten?” Thor asked. 

“Very little.”

The men were silent for several minutes while they merely watched. 

“Has she said anything?” Tony finally asked. 

“No.”

Loki decided not to tell them that you spoke to him almost constantly, your voice soft in his head, offering to help him escape. They could go anywhere he wanted if he was willing to be the guide. It wasn’t something that he would discount completely. 

He never replied to your soft queries, but you knew that he was sorely tempted. You decided that once you were able to escape the room and his spell, you would ask him again. 

Once he was left alone with you, he watched closely. He could tell that you were still learning to use the power given to you as a result of the lab accident. You weren’t quite perfect, because emotions tended to make you lose control. He was sure that with time, you would learn to let nothing faze you. 

Jarvis had shown him videos of the accident itself, of the tests that the doctors had put you through, and the failures that had come close to injuring them. Loki found it rather amusing that these mortal doctors had continuously underestimated the power of your new gifts. 

Loki could appreciate that you were chaos itself, at least until you learned control. When Tony had him go with Bucky and Natasha to retrieve you, his main objective was to prevent you from escaping and to assess exactly how strong you were. 

The little skirmish in the kitchen told him a lot; most of it he would keep to himself while telling Tony only the bare minimum of what he wanted to know. Loki felt that you could possibly teleport to a different realm, if you knew where to go.

“Jarvis, turn the music off, will ya?”

“Of course, sir.”

The sound went off suddenly, but you didn’t move right away. Finally, the objects that you’d been levitating hit the floor while you slowly lowered yourself to the bed. 

“Well?” You asked, when no one said anything. 

“Are you hungry?” Tony asked. “Loki said you weren’t eating.”

You gave a slight shrug. “I suppose I could take something, if it eases your conscience.”

“I’m concerned about you,” he said. 

“Alright, then,” you replied, getting up to stretch. 

“Is there anything in particular that you want?” Tony asked.

“You can surprise me.”

 _Go rest now,_ you told Loki. _Thank you for staying with me, and I apologize if I kept you awake._

 _Eat._ He finally responded to you, causing you to smile softly. _Get some sleep, little one._

— — —

After you’d eaten and answered a few questions from Tony about how you felt and whether or not you would escape if they released you, you laid back on your bed and stared at the ceiling. 

You told him that you only wanted to be left alone. You had no intention of hurting anyone and wanted no part of any Avengers business. He then explained that there were others that were very interested in you, and that they would hound you until they had you in their clutches. 

You weren’t too worried, since you felt that you could defend yourself, but Tony wasn’t fully convinced. He talked to you a while longer before leaving. 

Thor and Bucky remained behind to keep you company, although the conversation was awkward enough that they stopped trying. You’d asked about Natasha, but she was still in DC, taking care of Avengers business. 

You could tell that Loki was currently sleeping, so you didn’t bother him. While the others were gone, you observed him even as he watched you. You tentatively touched his mind, which he allowed although he was careful not to show you too much. 

You didn’t intrude, just gathered what he wanted to show you. He knew that you hovered at the edges of his thoughts and was rather curious about what you would do. It seemed as if you were content to listen and learn. 

After a few more minutes of staring at the ceiling, you sat up quickly, startling Bucky, Thor and the doctor on duty. 

“Books!” You said. “I’d like some books before I go stir crazy!”

“Anything else?” Bucky asked. 

“Strawberry cheesecake. And brownies.”

The items you asked for were delivered fairly quickly, so you scanned through the books that were sent and tossed the ones that you didn’t want aside. You wanted to throw them at the windows, but didn’t want to wake Loki with a disturbance of his spell. 

Once you ate most of the cheesecake and several brownies, you read for a bit before dozing off for a nap. The doctor quietly monitored the systems while Thor paced. Bucky sat in a chair, just watching. 

When the alarms on the medical systems started going off, Thor stood at the window and watched while you moved restlessly. It was apparent that you were having a bad dream, but no one could go in to try to wake you. 

Bucky went to the speaker and called your name, with no response. Jarvis also tried to wake you but failed. Before they could do anything else, you sat up while gasping for breath. 

“Are you alright?” Thor asked through the speaker. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Not my dream, not my dream,” you whispered, while still struggling to breathe. 

“What was that?”

“N-nothing,” you replied. 

You had almost said “Loki” but caught yourself before you revealed too much. When you carefully reached out to him, you found that he still slept, although he was still affected by the dream that he’d projected to you. 

“Let me out,” you told them. “Let me out or I will get out on my own.”

— — —

When the top of the Tower shook from the explosion, Loki continued to sit at his table with his hot tea and waited. 

He didn’t have long to wait, and smiled softly when you walked toward him. You still wore the thin pajamas and were barefoot. 

“So, my pet, are we off to create a bit of mischief across the cosmos?” He asked, while standing. When his clothes changed to his armor and leathers, you had the answer to all your offers to him. 

You didn’t reply, you just put your arms around him and hugged him tightly. 

— — —

“Sir,” Jarvis got Tony’s attention just as he and Steve reached the floor of your containment unit. 

“What is it? Have you found her??” Tony asked, while surveying the ruined lab. 

“She’s gone….and has taken the prince with her.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

When you teleported to your cabin in Alaska with Loki, you landed in the living room with plenty of space around you. Since you rarely practiced at it, and the last long distance trip was two years earlier when you fled New York, you felt a headache coming on, along with ringing in your ears. 

“Well done,” Loki told you, while squeezing your shoulders gently. 

“I don’t understand why you wanted to come back here,” you replied, stepping back from him. 

Before he could reply though, a sudden thought took you, so you put your finger over your lips. 

_I have a computer and WiFi access here,_ you said, motioning with your hands. _Jarvis may be listening._

Loki nodded, then watched as you unplugged the modem and turned the computer off. Then you turned off your cell phone, tablet and any other electronic device you could think of that Tony and Jarvis might use. 

_Why are we here?_ You asked. 

_The immediate need is clothes for you,_ he responded. _Go pack what you can and change. Hurry, now. If they are wise to us, it won’t take long for Thor and Stark to get here._

You moved quickly to the bedroom and grabbed a duffle bag. After changing, you stuffed it full with pants, shirts, undies, socks and extra pairs of shoes. Then you tossed in just a few toiletries. You were also careful to put the pajamas that you'd been wearing in the bag, hoping to leave no proof that you'd been there. 

When you finished, you went to the kitchen to throw in any snack that would fit in the bag. Every piece of candy you had on hand went into the duffel, along with packs of snack cakes; a couple of apples rounded out the selection. 

Just as you were finishing up, you stopped suddenly and glanced at Loki. He was slightly alarmed to see a faint purple in your irises. 

_Someone’s here._

Loki grabbed the bag and it disappeared from his hand, causing you to do a double take before he took your arm to get your attention. He tapped his temple, indicating the location for your next jump. You nodded while slipping your arms around him again. 

You both heard the noise of the front door being broken down just as you teleported out of there. 

— — —

“Just missed them, sir,” Jarvis reported, as Tony and Thor were still quite a distance from the cabin. “It appears that she only took clothes and snacks.”

“Any idea where they could be now?” Tony asked. 

“No, sir,” the AI replied. “I suspect that she could very likely take him back to Asgard, if he wanted to go there.”

“I suspect that you’d be right.”

When Tony and Thor reached the house, the SHIELD agents that had been sent ahead were busy searching it. They were making quite a mess of it, much to Tony’s chagrin. 

“Good job, fellas,” Tony said, sarcastically. “Did you wipe your feet before coming in?”

— — —

From the cabin, Loki guided you to a manor in Italy: Tuscany to be exact. The building was isolated and closed up. Once there, he selected a bedroom on the second floor, then he cast a spell on it that would hide any light so that it couldn’t be seen from the outside. 

He also placed a spell on the exterior of the house that would warn him if anyone came in. The bed in the room looked halfway decent and you hoped that it wasn’t too ruined, because you really needed to lay down. 

“Careful.” Loki caught your arm as you staggered toward the bed. 

“Sorry, I’m tired and my head hurts,” you breathed, while gingerly sitting on the edge of the mattress. “How did you find this place?”

He gave a wry grin. “Stark’s computer assistant is most accommodating. It showed me how to use Google Earth.”

You couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Clever, but Jarvis probably kept both our search histories, so we’d best not stay in one place too long.”

Loki nodded before he produced your duffel, then dug through it for the food you'd put in it. He gave you a candy bar and an apple, before selecting something for himself. 

“It’s not much,” you said. “I wasn’t sure if anything else would keep, since I didn’t know where we’d end up.”

“It will do for now, but we do need water,” he replied.

You watched while he went into the bathroom, then heard water running. After a couple of minutes, he returned with a small glass and offered it to you. 

“I’ve purified it,” he told you. “It’s cool.”

“Thank you.”

While you ate, you struggled to keep your eyes open, causing Loki to make you lay down once you finished. You didn’t protest, as you were dead tired. You didn’t realize that the purple tint from the Power Stone still reflected in your irises. Loki suspected that the close call from the cabin, plus teleporting, caused the change that would slowly fade once you were rested and no longer felt endangered. 

“You’ve done well, rest now,” he murmured, after producing a clean blanket out of nowhere. “I’ll keep watch.”

You were asleep from almost the moment your head hit the pillow. Loki smoothed your hair out of your face before straightening the blanket over you. He watched you for a few minutes, then stroked your cheek.

Since he was now out of reach of his brother and that irritating Stark, he had time to think about what you'd done. It was very clear that you were capable of many things: you’d teleported with him twice, flawlessly. So far you haven’t had to use telekinesis, but he knew that it would come in handy when the situation called for it. 

Now that you both were away from the Tower, he would start by having you teleport short distances, then work your way up until you both were confident that you could actually reach another planet without killing yourself or him.

Loki then began to plan how he would actually help you to teleport off-planet. He had a place in mind where he could obtain a spaceship; if he couldn’t find one to buy, he’d steal it. Then he would be free to go anywhere he wanted, although he would keep his distance from Asgard, for the time being, at least.

Once he was sure that you were sound asleep, he moved away to glance outside the window. The full moon illuminated the grounds of the old house and let him check for any movement, although his spells would alert him. 

Unknown to you, Loki had your money belt in a dimensional pocket; he’d taken it after Bucky removed it from your waist. No one had asked about it, so he kept it, just in case. He wasn’t fully familiar with how the slips of paper currency worked, but he would leave that part up to you. 

There was a conundrum, though. There was a real possibility that you’d both be recognized at some point. Large cities would have cameras almost everywhere, not to mention almost every Midgardian would have a smartphone and social media, and the chance was greater that they’d capture your images. 

On the other hand, two strangers appearing in the midst of a remote area might draw attention more quickly. Loki weighed the choices, then decided that mid sized cities may be the best option. 

Loki turned back toward the bed when you stirred slightly. When you settled again, he took another look out the window, double checked his spells, then settled beside you, although he didn’t lay down. He sat up against the headboard after pulling out a book. 

— —

The next morning when you woke, you felt like you’d gone on a bender. Your headache hadn’t eased even after sleeping, and you were hungry. Plus, you’d really, _really_ needed coffee. 

Loki came out of the bathroom at that moment, bearing water for you. He was relieved to see that your eyes were their normal color. 

“Thank you,” you murmured. “I wish I’d thought to bring something for a headache.”

“How bad is it?”

“Just a dull throb,” you responded. “I’m sure it will pass as soon as I’m able to get some caffeine.”

He brought out your duffel, once again searching through it for the junk food you had packed. He handed you a pack of chocolate snack cakes and then the last apple. 

“You eat that,” you told him, pushing his hand away. “I’m sure you’re hungry, too.”

“Take it,” he replied. “I don't have to eat as often as you, and you’ll be doing most of the work for now. We need to decide where our next stop will be, and then you need to practice.”

“Alright,” you reluctantly agreed. “Do you know how far we are from the nearest town?”

“Not too far,” he replied. “We should be able to find lodging there.”

“I had money on me before Natasha showed up and drugged me. We could use it now. Cash means no paperwork or ID required, in most cases. I should have taken Tony’s money, too.”

Loki went quiet for a moment, then raised his hand. Your eyes opened wide when you recognized your money belt. 

“Well, our situation has improved greatly, hasn’t it?” You grinned at him. 

— — — 

By later that morning, you and Loki had made your way to the nearest city. It was apparently on a tourist route, leaving you relieved when no one paid too much attention to you. Loki had changed his clothes so that he would fit in after you’d freshened up as much as you could in the manor. 

He had you purchase sunglasses, to keep your eyes hidden in case your emotions caused them to change color. You also bought a pair for him, just because you thought he looked dashing in the pair he’d tried on then put back. 

The second order of business was food. Luckily the cafe that you went to accepted American currency, so you and Loki had a substantial brunch. You could see that he was hungrier than he let on, and you felt bad about it. 

_I’m a poor planner,_ you told him. _I should have thought about food._

_Don’t worry about that,_ he responded. _We’ll see about lodging next._

You nodded while pouring yourself another cup of coffee. The waiter was kind enough to find some aspirin for your headache, and brought espresso for you. The coffee was strong and you could feel your headache easing. 

When you’d been shown to the table, Loki had ordered in flawless Italian, causing you to look at him in surprise. He gave you a mischievous smile while you made a mental note to ask him about that.

After eating, you asked the waiter to point out a hotel where you could find a room. Once Loki had closed and locked the door, you sank down onto the clean bed with a sigh. 

“This is nice.” You flopped backwards to stare at the ceiling. “Hey, how do you know Italian?”

“It’s the Allspeak,” he replied, while looking out the window.

“What’s that?” You got up to join him, and moved closer when he put his arm around your shoulders. 

“Think of it as a type of translator. It enables me and Thor to understand and speak different languages.”

“Neat,” you smiled up at him. 

He smiled back before raising his free hand in order to touch your face gently, and then turned you toward him and hugged you close. You put your head against him and closed your eyes. 

“You’ve done very well, better than I expected since you weren’t exactly practicing before now,” he murmured, stroking your hair. 

“Thank you, that means a lot to me,” you whispered back. 

Loki held you for a few minutes, then released you, causing you to step back reluctantly. He stroked your face again before pressing his forehead against yours. He felt it when you gently reached out to touch him telepathically, just hovering around the edges of his thoughts; he could tell that you were only reassuring yourself that he was pleased with you. 

“I’d like to take a bath. Why don’t you lay down for a while?” You told him, after he made no further move, which was disappointing. 

“I’ll wait until you finish,” he said, after producing the duffel so that you could get clean clothes. 

“Alright.”

After you exited the bathroom, Loki took his turn. When he finished, he found that you were curled up on one side of the bed, already asleep. He finished toweling his hair before laying down beside you, being careful not to jostle the bed. 

He cast a quick spell to secure the room before allowing himself to sleep, then reached over to draw you into the curve of his body. You were warm and soft against him, with skin fragrant from your bath, which he found soothing. 

Loki caressed your hand before linking his fingers through yours; he was then able to sleep. You woke him later when you began to move restlessly. He tried shaking you awake, but you were so tired and deeply asleep that he couldn’t rouse you right away. 

Finally, you woke yourself up with a gasp. You were disoriented for several minutes before you remembered where you were. You then realized that Loki held you tightly against him in order to prevent you from rolling off the bed or running. When your eyes blinked open, he was alarmed to see that the irises were purple. 

“I woke you, I’m sorry,” you said, with a soft sniffle. 

“Don’t worry,” he replied. “What were you dreaming about?”

“That stupid Power Stone and the idiots who thought they could use it.”

“Do you have this dream often?” He asked, wanting to be prepared. If you hit him with lightning or teleported out of fright, his chance of leaving Midgard would be lost. 

“Fairly often.”

“Go back to sleep,” he told you. “There’s no big hurry to move on. Let’s rest, then we can see about staying for a couple more days. How does that sound?”

“Marvelous,” you replied, lightly running your hand along his bare forearm.

So, you laid still, trying to go back to sleep, but unable to with Loki snug against your side, his arm across your waist, and one leg across yours. You weren’t sure if he slept, but you sure as shooting weren’t getting more sleep anytime soon. 

“Not working, hmm?” He finally asked. 

“No,” you replied softly. 

“Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Your heart jumped to your throat when he raised up on an elbow before leaning over to capture your lips in a soft, tentative kiss meant to gauge your response. You pulled him closer, giving him your answer. 

His hands made quick work of clothing, then it was skin against skin. He was gentle, and thorough; you were already drifting off before he moved to your side again. 

Loki stroked your sweat-soaked hair away from your face while he studied you. You were a pretty little thing and had caught his interest the night at your cabin, when you’d knocked him on his butt. 

He _did_ like you, and thought that you’d make a perfect pair once off Midgard and able to move freely throughout the universe. 

— — 

For the next several months, you and Loki moved from country to country, city to city, where you would stay for a few weeks or until you felt you had to move on. With care, your cash would be enough for at least a year of moving around. 

When needed, you stayed at hotels or inns; during these stays, Loki placed a spell around the room so that no one could surprise you. If the internet and a computer were available, he would research the next place to go. 

The two of you grew closer day by day, and you knew that you loved him, but was unsure if he would or could return those feelings. There was something that he still kept hidden; you couldn’t find out what it was unless you invaded his mind, which he would not appreciate at all. 

As far as either of you knew, Tony nor Thor had even come close to gaining on you. There hadn’t even been a close call from local authorities. You were relieved, but Loki still remained cautious; he knew that he needed you far more than you needed him, at least until you’d gotten him off Midgard. 

Loki would have you practice taking a destination from him, so you’d concentrate on the picture he gave you through your telepathy before sending you off. He wanted you to be able to take guidance from him, and also wanted to establish how long it took for you to travel to the target and then back. 

He knew that he couldn’t have you try reaching one of the planets in Midgard’s solar system, since they would be immediately fatal. The planet that he wanted to start with was similar enough to Earth that you wouldn’t suffer any adverse effects. It was the _distance_ to the planet that had him concerned. 

He didn’t want you to panic mid-jump, especially when you had him along for the ride. Loki wanted you to be able to focus on the destination in order for both of you to arrive in one piece. 

— —

“Alright, pet, I think you are ready to get us out of here,” Loki finally told you while you enjoyed a quiet meal on the balcony of the Scottish hotel room where you were staying. 

Edinburgh castle was visible from the distance; it was somewhere that you had always wanted to visit, but now was not the time. 

“Ok,” you replied, uncertainly. 

“Just remember not to panic, the trip itself will likely take longer than you’re used to. Keep the image foremost in your mind and trust me. I’ve been there enough times to guide you to an open space.”

You nodded before pushing your plate away. The food suddenly tasted like sawdust, and you couldn’t choke it down. Loki watched you for a couple of minutes before reaching over to take your hand. 

“You’ll do fine, just trust me and don’t panic.”

_You sound confident, but I can tell that you’re not entirely convinced,_ you tell him while trying to keep your hand from shaking. 

_Trust me._

Later that afternoon, you paced the floor anxiously, keyed up about what was to come. Loki had you rest a while then eat again before teleporting. 

He watched you for several minutes before stopping you in order to draw you to him. He could feel your trembling in his arms.

“It’s alright,” he murmured. 

“I don’t want to hurt you….” You paused before looking up at him. 

_They’re here!_

_Go!_

— — —

“Damn it,” Tony scrubbed his face with both hands as he and Thor stood in the empty hotel room. “Those two are as slippery as jello.”

“What’s jello?” Thor asked. 

“Never mind. I don’t think we’re ever going to catch them.”

“I’m beginning to believe you’re right.”

This was their closest call yet: they’d actually arrived **at** the hotel while you and Loki were still there. There had been only two other times where they’d been only an hour or so too late in catching you. 

The fact that you could read minds, and would recognize them when they came in proximity to you pretty much guaranteed a successful escape. 

— — —

_I can’t breathe!_

_FOCUS!_

Loki’s voice was firm in your mind when you started to panic during the jump to Reumion, the planet he’d been preparing you for. 

_I’m with you,_ _keep the picture in sight,_ he said, still firmly but also encouraging. 

So, you concentrated hard, focusing as you’d been training to do. When your feet finally touched solid ground, you staggered and would have fallen if not for Loki.

_Well done, my pet_ ….

_I did it?_

_You did it._ You could hear the smile in his voice. 

His voice faded as you collapsed into his arms. Loki lifted you easily, then pressed a kiss against your temple while he carried you to an inn that he was familiar with. Your paper money was of no use, except as a novelty, so Loki parted with a gold coin in order to obtain the best rooms and to have a meal sent to it. 

He then placed you carefully on the bed, and smoothed your hair out of your face. He could tell that you were exhausted; he felt safe enough to let you recover on your own before he started the search for a ship to buy or steal, if necessary. 

Three days later, you finally stirred and sat up in bed. You had been out cold during that time, which concerned Loki, who hovered over you, guarding you. You hadn’t even woken up for food or water. 

You looked around, disoriented, while trying to get your wits about you. The furniture and covers on the bed seemed familiar, yet not entirely, but you couldn’t put your finger on what the difference was. 

A quick glance at the window took in a gray sky, although the light coming in was bright. You thought that perhaps a storm was brewing, but something still seemed off. 

_Loki?_

_A moment,_ he replied. 

You sat still, needing water but unable to get your legs to move. They felt like jelly and you were certain that they wouldn’t hold you up if you tried to stand. After a couple minutes, Loki entered the room, followed by...something you’d never seen before. 

Your eyes opened wide in fright and before you could scream, Loki reached your side and shook you warningly. His fingers were painfully tight on your shoulder and drew your attention away from the alien that had carried a tray of food in. 

You took a deep breath and forced yourself to relax; Loki eased his grip somewhat, then let go completely once the alien was gone.

_Okay, I’m not on Earth anymore,_ you told yourself. _They can’t all look like Loki or Thor._

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” you murmured. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” he replied. “Keep in mind that you may see other creatures even more startling.”

You nodded silently before scooting to the side of the bed. After another deep breath, you stood slowly, then before you could ask, Loki pointed you toward the equivalent of a bathroom. 

When you returned, Loki had put the food onto a small table in the main room and waited for you. You sat down and pressed your trembling knees together. 

“How do you feel?” He asked, after pouring a glass of water for you. 

“Disoriented,” you replied. “Something feels off, but I don’t know how to explain it.”

He nodded while putting food on your plate. “I know that this looks different, but it should taste similar to what you’re used to.”

“Okay,” you replied, apprehensively. 

You took small bites of what he’d served, finding that while it didn’t _exactly_ taste like Earth food, it wasn’t bad. Loki watched in silent amusement before he poured a dark purple liquid into a separate glass for you. 

“What’s that?”

“Wine,” he replied. 

“Oh.” 

You brought the glass to your nose for a sniff before taking a sip. That sip burned going down and you choked on it. Loki quickly handed you the water glass, which you drained.

_“Strong!”_ You gasped, eyes watering. 

“Are you alright?” He asked. 

You had to clear your throat twice before giving up and nodding in response. He did smile when you pushed the wine glass toward him while shaking your head. You watched him drink what was in your glass before pouring more for himself. 

“So, what’s next?” You asked, once you were able to speak. 

“To buy a ship,” he replied. 

“Too bad they won’t take my paper money,” you commented, while eating your breakfast. 

“Yes,” he agreed. “But I will steal one if necessary.”

“Do you think you could do it without hurting anyone? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Don’t let that concern you,” he replied. “I don’t intend to injure anyone, and I won’t steal a ship unless that is our only option.”

“Alright.” 

“Now, how are you on clothing?”

The subject change caught you off guard, so you had to take a mental inventory of what you had. 

“I could use a couple sets of new ones, and boots.”

“Once we’ve finished eating, we will go see what we can find for you.”

“Alright.”

— —

When Loki led you from the inn toward the merchant district, you were intrigued by the diverse alien beings that walked the street. You stayed close to him, and even took his arm a couple of times when you noticed that you were drawing the attention of some of the creatures.   
  
“Why are they looking at us?” You whispered.

”There aren’t too many Terrans, or humans, that show up this far out in the galaxy.”

”Oh.”

“No, move along,” Loki told one brave alien, who had brazenly stopped your progress and chittered. “Yes, I’m quite sure.”

“What did he, it, say?” You asked, after Loki had guided you around the creature in order to continue toward the shops. 

“He wanted to know if you were for sale. He needs a pet.”

“What??” You squeaked, moving so close to his side that you were nearly walking on his feet. 

Loki chuckled softly while gently moving you so that he had space to walk. You kept a tight grip on his arm, and he patted your hands. 

“Yes, and I dare say that his won’t be the only offer.”

“You wouldn’t, would you?”

“Of course not.”

For some reason, you didn’t quite believe him, but you kept your misgivings to yourself. 

He finally led you into a shop where you could get clothes and boots. You listened while he bartered with the shopkeeper; once an agreement was reached, the shopkeeper took you by the hand in order to show you garments that you could choose from. 

“Pick out what you like, and try them on,” Loki instructed you. “Then we’ll get boots.”

So, you picked out clothing after trying several articles on. You also needed undergarments, but were reluctant to mention it to him. Loki’s attention was on the street outside, so you took that opportunity to look around. 

“Wonder if she has underwear…” you murmured to yourself, while trying not to be obvious about what you wanted. 

“Here.” The shopkeeper’s voice startled you just before she motioned you over. 

You followed her, relieved to find what you were looking for. When you only picked out a couple things, she handed you several more items, including a couple of gowns. 

“Paid for,” she told you. 

“Thank you,” you replied. 

She nodded with a smile before she moved away to package your items. When you finished, Loki paid her extra to have someone deliver them to the inn. Then he took you for boots, which were also to be delivered for you.

“Now where to?” You asked, wanting to look around. 

The planet had a myriad of sights, other than the alien beings, and you wanted to see some of them. It felt like Earth, as far as the atmosphere, plants, etc, but the sky was gray instead of blue, with the vegetation having silver or steel blue coloring. 

“Are those humans?” You asked Loki, indicating the humanoids that you saw. 

“Only a few of them are,” he replied, while keeping an eye out for anyone who showed too much attention to you. 

While you looked around while trying not to stare, you felt a tug on your pant leg. You glanced down to find that you and Loki had been surrounded by children, who looked up at you with wonder. 

Some were humanoid, but they all seemed immensely interested in you. Several of them reached for your hands in order to examine them, while others gently felt the skin of your arms. 

Loki managed to step out of the way, but watched closely while also giving the other pedestrians his attention; he leaned against the building, arms crossed. 

“Hello,” you said, uncertain if they could understand you. 

“Hello!” Some of them did understand and greeted you with smiles. 

Loki watched your interaction with the little ones. He’d half expected you to take yourself right back to Midgard after the initial fright at the inn. You weren’t as wary of the children, and he expected that you would grow used to seeing other species as time went on. 

“Here, see if they want these,” Loki said, handing you the small pieces of chocolate that you’d tossed into the duffel bag before leaving Alaska. 

You offered the candy, pleased that there was just enough for each child to have one piece. Even Loki laughed at the expressions on their faces when they tasted it. He was less than thrilled though when small hands tried to find more candy on him; his clothing was tugged on and twisted around, much to his annoyance. 

“No, sorry, all gone,” you told them. “No more.”

“More?”

“All gone,” you repeated, showing empty hands. 

They made disappointed sounds while Loki reached for your hand. You waved at them as he led you down the street, then he pulled your arm through his. 

“While you were resting, I’ve been asking around about a ship suitable to our purpose,” he told you. “I received word today that there is one that may be for sale.”

“Okay,” you replied. 

“There may be other creatures there that will get close to you, but you are not to show any fear,” he went on. “Can you do that?”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay behind?”

“No, I want you close to me so that there’s no chance of you being stolen.”

That thought had never crossed your mind and it made you uneasy, but you were sure that you could protect yourself. 

“I also don’t want you to reveal what you’re capable of, or neither of us will make it off this planet,” he continued, as if reading your mind. 

“Alright.” 

Loki moved his arm so that his hand now rested in the small of your back. 

“You’re doing very well,” he said. “No one would ever suspect that you’ve never been off planet before.”

“Liar.” You couldn’t help but laugh at his teasing tone. “But thank you.”


	3. Chapter 3

Loki had introduced you to Kai, who had word on a ship that Loki felt would serve his purpose. It was large enough for comfortable long distance traveling, but small enough that it didn’t need a crew. Since he was the only one who knew how to fly a ship, he also wanted one that you could learn to pilot. 

While Loki and Kai talked, you could only stand within sight and wait around for him to finish. Several aliens at the dock showed interest in you, so you were very sure to remain where Loki could see you. They walked by you several times, with each pass allowing them to take longer looks. You started getting very uneasy, and wished that Loki could hurry. 

“Pet,” Loki said, turning to motion you to him. “He’s taking us to the ship.”

“She’s a pet?” Kai asked.

“No,” Loki replied, firmly. 

“For sale?”

“NO.” 

Kai made a disappointed sound as he led you and Loki through the shipyard. Others followed a distance behind, following but trying not to be obvious about it. 

_Loki..._

_I see them. Remember what I said._

So, you tried to ignore the small crowd behind you but Loki could sense your disquiet. He squeezed your hand gently in acknowledgment of your unease. 

Finally, Kai pointed out the ship that was being offered. It didn’t look like much to you, but since you'd never seen a spaceship before, you weren’t really one to judge. You followed Loki up the ramp, while Kai showed him the interior of the vessel. 

When they moved to a different part of the ship, you noticed several bunks in the hold. They didn’t really look comfortable, but were wide enough for two. Then you found the cabin that held a bigger bed and the shower/refresher. This was much more suitable for a tall Asgardian who liked to hog the bed and covers.

Loki and Kai returned from their walk through, talked a few minutes more, and you could tell that Loki seemed to approve of the small ship. 

Once back on the ground, there was more talk, then you sensed a shift in the conversation. It was clear that it had something to do with you. Loki listened while Kai continued to talk, while motioning towards you. 

_Loki. Don’t you_ **_dare_ ** _try to sell me!_

 _I wouldn’t dream of it, darling,_ he responded. _But it hurts nothing if I appear to consider it._

You huffed at his teasing, but froze in fear when Kai walked over to you, then moved around you slowly. 

_If he touches me, I will puke, I swear it,_ You told Loki, grimly. 

_Just be still._

You did, but it wasn’t easy. Loki winked at you when Kai came back over to him. You weren’t sure what he found so funny, but you were not amused at all. 

Loki nodded at something that Kai said, then came over to lead you a little distance away. 

“So?”

“The ship is in good shape and will suit our needs.”

“Great!”

“He will take less gold for it than I thought, but he wants something besides the gold.”

“What does he want?” You asked, afraid that you already knew the answer to that. Your eyes started to glow purple, causing Loki to hiss in warning. 

“Stop that!” 

“What does he want?” You asked again. 

“Your hair.”

“My - what?”

“You heard me,” he said, while turning you so that none of the observers could see your face. “The ship is perfect for us, and that is the price. He likes the color and the grey streak.”

You looked ready to fight, so you caught him by surprise when you agreed. 

“Alright. If that’s what it takes,” you replied.

Loki kissed your forehead lightly, then led you back where Kai waited. When he let him know that you’d agreed to the bargain, Kai started toward you with a blade in his hand. 

_No, no,_ **_no!_ ** _He’s not to cut it!_

Loki actually winced when your voice in his head was louder than you’d ever projected before. He’d had no intention of letting Kai near you with a knife, but the fellow was so eager and had moved quicker than he anticipated. 

He stepped in front of you, then spoke to Kai, who made a sound of disappointment, but agreed. Loki pulled out one of his own daggers and carefully cut your long braid, taking care to keep the locks together. Kai watched closely, then eagerly accepted it. 

“Congrats, my dear, you’re the proud owner of a fine ship.”

“Does it have a name?” You asked. 

“The _Sparrow,”_ Loki translated what Kai told him. “Loosely translated.”

When you returned to the inn, you looked in a mirror while running your hands through what remained of your hair. 

“That will take some getting used to,” Loki commented. 

“Yes, but I suppose that I should be grateful that he didn’t insist that you shave it,” you replied. “May I have a sharp dagger?”

Curious, Loki gave you a small one, and then watched while you trimmed your hair to try to even it out. Once done, you ruffled it vigorously, pleased with the results. 

When you returned the dagger to him, Loki also gave it a ruffle, smiling as he did so. 

“Beautiful,” he murmured. 

— — —

Several days later, Loki led you to the _Sparrow_ ; you were followed by the crowd of children, some of whom had insisted on carrying the packages with your new clothes and boots. 

While waiting for the ship to be provisioned with food and fuel, you had searched through your duffel bag in order to purge it of things you no longer needed. Worn boots, and threadbare clothes were discarded, and you found more chocolate candy. 

You’d forgotten that Loki had bought the candy during your globe hopping and given it to you. It was a quick jolt of sugar to replenish your energy after teleporting so often. 

Loki let the children come into your rooms at the inn, as they were fascinated with you, and you had an impromptu storytelling session. You were sure that some of them couldn’t understand you, but the ones who did translated for them. 

When it came time for you and Loki to leave, they begged for you to stay. You promised to come back if you could, and gave out the chocolates. Now they followed you to the ship, wanting to spend the very last moment of time with you before you were gone. 

They waved at you as the ramp to the ship closed. 

“They liked you very much,” Loki commented softly, after gesturing for you to take the copilot chair. 

“I liked them too,” you replied, quietly. 

He reached over to take your hand; when you looked over at him, he could see the faint purple flare in your eyes. 

“Maybe we can come this way again.”

You nodded without a word, busy trying to figure out how to fasten the safety harness. 

“Here, let me show you.”

Loki slid out of his seat, then knelt beside you. You watched him until he finished, then his eyes met yours. He could tell that you were apprehensive about leaving the planet, and uncertain about what was to come. 

When your hand slid across his cheek and into his hair, he leaned up to kiss you softly. Your eyes closed when he then kissed along your jaw to nibble at your earlobe. 

“Everything will be alright, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Now, let’s see what awaits us.”

— — — 

“Ew, ew, ew!” You cried as you rushed toward the bathroom on your and Loki’s ship. “I’m gonna vomit...uggg!”

He followed unhurriedly after closing the hatch, then waited until you came out of the bathroom. When you did so, you were soaking wet and only had a towel around you. He tried hard not to laugh at your plight, but your state and how you got there was absolutely hilarious. 

“You could have warned me, you know,” you told him while rummaging through your clothes for a gown or something. 

“If you recall, I _did_ warn you,” he replied, still holding back his laughter. 

“Right.” Your voice was muffled when you pulled a shirt over your head. “Then you should have stopped me.”

“You’re the one who insisted on riding the animal.”

“How was I to know that the thing would _spit_?” Your look of disgust finally pushed Loki over the edge: he burst into peals of laughter. 

— — 

After three months in space with no stops, Loki had landed the _Sparrow_ on the planet Maian where he could get food and fuel. He also wanted you getting used to seeing what Midgardians would call ‘aliens’ so that you wouldn’t stare or scream in fright, since you had only been exposed to them while on Reumion.

Loki quickly made arrangements for the ship to be restocked, then joined you. He found you mesmerized by a large group of animals in pens close to the fueling stations. They looked similar to horses, but were much larger. 

The sounds they made weren’t like horses at all, but you could overlook that. They were very shaggy, reminding you of horses with winter coats, but on a larger scale. 

Loki stood with you while you watched the animals’ keepers move through the pens, then one was caught and saddled. 

“Those are riding animals?” You asked. 

“It appears so,” Loki responded. 

“What are they called?”

_“Sonay.”_

One of the keepers saw your interest and approached for a closer look at the Terran. It spoke to Loki, who seemed to understand the low guttural language, then Loki nodded. 

“If she wants, but if she is hurt, I will be most displeased,” Loki told him. 

“What did he say?”

“He offered to let you ride one of the small ones, if you want.”

“Really?”

“I feel it’s not wise, but the decision is yours,” he responded. 

“I’d like to.”

“Off you go then.”

So, you had followed the animal keeper while Loki waited where he was. The _sonay_ that you were led to was smaller than the others, but not much smaller. At least it seemed calmer, although you couldn’t really judge that for yourself.

Several other _sonay_ already bore riders, so you watched how they were seated in the saddle before accepting a boost. Then the reins were handed to you. Your mount followed the others but when it was in the clear, you realized that you should have asked more questions. 

_Not a horse, not a horse!_

Instead of galloping, your _sonay_ and the others began to spring along like kangaroos, and you were so surprised that you could barely stay in the saddle. You may have screamed once, maybe twice, but were able to recover fairly quickly. 

The _sonay_ would gather their legs under them, then kick off to give a mighty leap, which covered a vast amount of ground. Just as you were getting the hang of riding the creature, you found yourself back at the pens. 

Once you slid down out of the saddle, the keeper that had spoken to Loki approached. 

“Thank you.” 

You smiled and bowed slightly. He seemed surprised, but then bowed back. 

You petted the animal on the shoulder and it swung its head to look at you. Then it spit a great glob of neon green slime that covered you from head to toe. Luckily, your mouth wasn’t open or it might have drowned you in the stuff. 

You shrieked horror and disgust before you managed to find your way back to the ship, while Loki followed. 

— —

“That was so gross,” you paused while laying back on the bed. “Why the hell are you laughing?”

Before he could reply though, you sat up slightly with a perplexed look on your face. 

“What’s that smell??” You asked, your nose wrinkling in disgust. “Oh, good grief, I’m going to stink forever!”

“No, maybe just for a couple days, but I’m afraid that your clothes are ruined.”

The slime’s stench was disgusting and had soaked into your skin and hair. The clothes you had been wearing were scattered in your haste to get them off, so you gathered them telekinetically and shoved them into the garbage chute for disposal. The smell lessened almost immediately, but your nose still burned from the slime and the odor. 

Once that was done, you laid back again with a wince. Loki immediately sat down on the edge of the mattress. 

“Are you injured?”

“I think - “ You were quiet for a moment while you took inventory. “My chest hit the pommel of the saddle on that first leap…”

“Let me see.”

His hand slid under your shirt to carefully test your ribs. His touch was gentle, and his hand slightly cool against your skin. When he finished, you took his hand and squeezed it. 

“You know, you’re beautiful when you smile,” you told him. “You should do it more often.”

Loki lifted your hand to press his lips against your fingers. “My smiles are only for you, my dear.”

“That’s sweet,” you replied, blinking rapidly to keep tears at bay.

“There’s not many who would agree,” he commented, softly. 

“What do they know?” You sat up again, still holding his hand while playing with his fingers. “Hey, is there any candy left?”

“Let’s see.” After a moment, he held out his hand to offer a chocolate bar to you. “Unfortunately, this is the last one.”

“Oh.” You debated taking it, since the likelihood of finding chocolate was slim while in the far reaches of space. 

You’ve been lucky so far to find fruit that resembled and tasted similar to what you’d get on Earth, so you weren’t starving, although you would love to have a steak or even some chicken. There had only been a handful of foods that you simply couldn’t get down, but Loki went out of his way to find a variety for you; he’d even stocked the ship’s hold with his finds. 

“Maybe we should save it,” you said, although you really wanted it. 

“There are ships that bring all kinds of sweets from all over the galaxy,” Loki responded. “We may be fortunate in finding more.”

“Wanna share then?” You asked, knowing that he liked chocolate as much as you did. 

He nodded before breaking the bar in half. You slowly ate your portion, savoring it, while hoping that you could find more. Once you finished the candy, you got up on your knees to move closer to him. 

An eyebrow arched when your hands slid across his shoulders before coming to rest at the back of his neck. Then you pressed your lips against his in a soft kiss, which he returned. Your eyes fluttered closed under his expertise; you barely realized when he pulled you into his lap. 

After a few minutes, he pulled away, eliciting a sound of protest from you. He turned his face away slightly, but when your mouth found the sensitive spot under his ear, you felt him tremble. 

“Sweetheart,” he started, but had to stop when your hand tangled in his hair. His scalp was also sensitive, and you were using the knowledge to his disadvantage. He took a deep breath before trying again. “Sweetheart, there will be a crew here shortly to load the ship...I do not think you’d want them aboard when…”

“When?”

“When I make you _scream._ ”

It was your turn to tremble at the promise in his voice. In Italy, when he’d first taken you to bed, the experience was mild compared to how he’d made you feel once you were alone on the ship. 

Just knowing that you didn’t have to worry about being hunted down gave you both relief from having to constantly be on guard. He then made you scream, beg and swear, sometimes separately, but mostly all at the same time. 

Loki drove you to exhaustion, coaxing every ounce of strength from you. When you finally slept, you’d done so with his weight still on you, and with your limbs still tangled with his. He’d stroked your hair away from your face, then kissed you gently before moving to your side. An arm across your waist pulled you flush with him, then he went to sleep also, but with an ear attuned to the ship’s computer in case of trouble. 

“I’m holding you to that,” you murmured, placing a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

He grinned at you before gently setting you on your feet. You tugged at a stray lock of his hair, which earned you another smile. 

“They’re here,” you told him. “Do you mind if I stay in here until they’ve finished?”

“Not at all,” he responded. “Just lock the door and keep alert, hmmm?”

“Of course,” you replied, tiptoeing to stretch against him, arms around his neck. 

“You’re making it very difficult to leave, my dear.”

“My bad.” You made no effort to move. 

Loki shook his head before kissing you once more, then pulled your arms to your side. 

“It shouldn’t take long.”

— — —

While the ship was being loaded, you busied yourself with straightening the cabin. You also kept a light mental touch with Loki, and had already touched the crew that loaded the ship. Nothing seemed amiss, so you grabbed a snack and sat in the bed to flip through one of Loki’s books. 

You couldn’t read the language it was written in, but you studied the illustrations anyway. It seemed like hours had passed before you heard movement in the ship. 

_Loki?_

_It’s me..they’re finished._

When he rapped softly on the door, you opened it for him. He kissed you lightly before leading you to the cockpit. You took your usual spot beside him while he powered up the engines and raised the loading ramp. 

“Is something wrong?” You asked. “I thought we were going to stay for a day or two.”

“I’ll explain in time,” he replied. “Buckle, please.”

Once the ship was gliding through space, he sat back with a sigh. You unbuckled your harness, then looked at him expectantly. He seemed reluctant to face you. 

“What’s happened?” You asked.

Loki raised a finger when he felt your mental touch, so you withdrew. 

“The gold, there’s very little of it left, and I’ve had to use alternate methods of obtaining fuel and food,” he said, quietly. “Word may get around.”

“What kind of alternate methods?” You asked, suspiciously. “You’ve stolen them, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What else?” 

“That’s all.”

You were sure that he wasn’t being fully truthful, that there was something else he wasn’t telling you, but you decided not to push it for now. Hopefully by the next time you needed to restock, you’d have thought of a way to pay for supplies. 

— — —

It was now six months since you’d left Maian, and Loki had been teaching you to fly the ship and how to navigate the star charts. Despite having no experience whatsoever in space travel, piloting the little cruiser had almost come naturally to you. 

He also taught you how to defend yourself, without tapping into your power. You enjoyed the lessons, for the most part, at least until you got so frustrated with him that you’d zapped him with lightning on more than one occasion. He then would lecture you on not losing control, until you zapped him again. Then he would become sullen; you called it pouting but he called it disappointment. 

Loki had also managed to get you set up to receive electronic credits, so that his remaining gold could be used for emergencies only. To earn the credits, you’d sold some of your food, especially the fruits and candies, to outposts that rarely got fresh produce. 

Several trips saw you delivering a captured criminal to the jurisdiction that had put out a reward. You didn’t particularly like that part, but Loki had made sure that a spare storage room would suit the purpose, and he also sealed it with seidr, which kept the prisoner secured. 

So far, there hadn’t been any trouble regarding the stolen fuel, although Loki knew that as big as the galaxy was, word would still get around. He kept this to himself though, not wanting to alarm you. 

The credits you received started adding up; after fueling up, there was even enough leftover to discuss your getting an implant that would instantly translate languages for you.

“Is it safe?” You asked. 

“Almost everyone you see has one,” Loki replied. “But there’s no rush, alright?”

“It would be helpful,” you commented, thoughtfully. 

“Yes, it would.”

After more discussion and asking around, you finally decided on the best place to get one. Loki hovered over you while you were sedated, and then kept watch until you woke from the anesthesia. 

“How do you feel?” He asked, when you groggily sat up. 

“Weird, itchy,” you told him, while reaching up to touch the spot behind your ear where the implant had gone. 

“Don’t scratch. It will only take a couple of days for the incision to heal.”

“I’ll remember not to scratch.”

It took a moment for you to realize that you’d answered the physician in her own language, and Loki nearly laughed at your look of wonder. 

“That’s so weird!” You exclaimed. 

“You’re all set,” the physician told you, with a smile. 

“Thank you.”

It took time to get used to the implant, but after a while, you forgot that it was even there. 

— — —

“That was rather easy,” you commented while taking your turn flying the _Sparrow._

“Don’t get too complacent,” Loki warned. 

He’d let you take the ship through a jump point to your next point of interest, after delivering a prisoner to authorities and getting your credits for him.

“I won’t. It’s much less exhausting than having to teleport,” you said, while your eyes flicked over the control center. 

“Yes, but you still have to practice at both,” he replied. 

You nodded before setting the autopilot. After unbuckling your harness,you surprised him by plopping into his lap. His arms slid around you when your head nestled into the curve of his neck and shoulder.

“What’s this?” He murmured, while stroking your hair. 

“Nothing,” you replied, with a sigh. 

Loki ran his hand along your arm soothingly. When the navigation computer alerted to the next stop, he moved just enough to acknowledge it. 

When the _Sparrow_ was cleared for docking, you stayed in his lap while he set the course, and then gave him a kiss before moving back to the pilot’s seat. He allowed you to take over guiding the ship to the landing pad that you’d been assigned. 

Loki sat back and watched; he wouldn’t jump in unless you got into trouble. He had spent the last few months in space and the previous year on Earth teaching and training so that you could be self-sufficient if needed. 

The only thing that he worried about, if push came to shove, was if you would defend yourself by any means necessary. He hadn’t shared everything with you, but knew that the situation for self defense would come sooner than later. He was fortunate that you didn’t try to sense his thoughts very often; if you had, you wouldn’t be happy with him, and might even be afraid of him. 

“Well done,” he said, after kissing your forehead. 

You smiled, then followed him to the hatch door. Once on the ground, Loki listened to you make the arrangements for fuel while you and he went into the town for food to have delivered. 

Once that was done, he led you to a place where you could eat while waiting for the ship to be loaded. When you both entered the establishment, a few heads turned your way, which wasn’t unusual. You did a quick mental scan, just for practice in using the language implant; none of the patrons would ever know that you’d done it. 

Satisfied that all was well, you followed Loki to a corner table, where your backs wouldn’t be to the door. He’d taught you this, and you realized the wisdom in it. 

The food and drinks arrived shortly, with you taking small bites to be sure that you’d be able to stomach it. It would never do to get sick in front of a whole crowd of people, or appear to spit their food out. 

After eating, you both walked through the market, browsing until your communicator beeped to let you know that the _Sparrow_ was stocked and ready for departure. 

As you made your way back to your ship, you glanced around after feeling Loki get taut beside you. 

_What is it?_ You asked. 

_Trouble._

Loki had seen a familiar face in the crowd, and knew that he had to get you out of there. The time for self defense had just arrived. 

_Get us back to the ship._

Without even thinking about it, you took his hand and teleported to the _Sparrow_ , landing neatly, with room to spare. Loki jumped into the pilot’s seat, and started powering up the engines while looking over the instrumentation to ensure that nothing tethered the ship to the fueling station. 

While the engines slowly powered up, someone started firing blasters. The shields were of no use while was docked, and Loki swore softly. After another barrage of direct hits, you panicked and flung the _Sparrow_ into space, before the engines even came online. 

Loki looked over at you in shock: never in his wildest imaginings would he have thought you capable of moving a fully loaded spaceship from ground to space, effortlessly. Just then the engines ignited, and he punched it, trying to get distance between the planet and whatever had alarmed him. 

Once he had the _Sparrow_ hurtling through space, he looked at you again, calling your name when you didn’t respond. He slid out of his seat, and knelt beside you. 

“Are you alright?”

You nodded silently but didn’t open your eyes. “Tired, my head hurts.”

Before he could do anything further, someone hailed the ship. Loki moved back to his seat before answering the call.

“Asgardian.”

“Salan,” Loki replied, quietly. 

“You’re a hard one to catch up to,” Salan told him. 

“Yes, well…”

“You left Lizu in such a hurry, you forgot something.”

Loki didn’t say anything, just stole a glance over at you. He hoped that you were either asleep or too tired to listen to the conversation. 

“Did I?”

“Hmmm, there is still the matter of payment for the fuel, which you didn’t leave behind. I’ve been tasked with retrieving her for my employer.”

You were close to falling asleep, but something about the incident didn’t feel right, so you listened. What you heard crushed you to the point where you became nauseous.

“You sold me?” You asked. 

“No, I never had any intention of actually _selling_ you. I told you that.”

“But you never told _him_ , did you?”

One word came to your mind: grifter. 

_“Liar!”_ You hissed at him while struggling to your feet. “How could you?”

Loki caught you before you could fall; you were so exhausted that you could hardly hold your head up. 

“Stop now, hand her over, and I will consider not destroying your ship.”

Those were the last words you heard before you fainted. When you came to, you were laying on the floor in the escape pod. You reached out mentally to Loki, finding that he was almost out of reach. 

_I’ll find you, and when I do...you will pay...you will pay._

Loki winced when he heard the soft words in his mind, along with a sharp pain as if a dagger had been struck through his head. He would rather have had you scream and threaten him. The soft promise concerned him more than any shouted threats. 


	4. Chapter 4

_Loki._

He’d left you behind, locked in the _Sparrow’s_ escape pod which was now being retrieved by the large ship that loomed above you. 

Tears flooded your cheeks as you struggled to rise from the floor; you were finally successful but slumped into the jumpseat when your knees gave out. 

You had known that he was hiding something, but not this. Something had prevented you from looking too deeply into his thoughts; you knew that he wouldn’t have reacted well, based on what had happened at the cabin, so you didn’t want to push the issue. 

You now realized that you shouldn’t have so blindly trusted him; this was something that you’d learned the hard way with SHIELD and Tony Stark, but not with Loki. 

After a couple of minutes, the pod jerked several times before coming to halt. You forced yourself to your feet; you were going to face this Salan on your own terms. 

You closed your eyes, took several deep breaths, then blew the pod’s door off its hinges. The small group of ship’s crew was startled into inaction when you stepped forward, eyes and fingertips glowing. 

“There she is.”

The low voice belonged to the person who’d contacted Loki aboard the _Sparrow._

“Come along, little one. Don’t be afraid, you’ll be well taken care of.” Although his tone was gentle, you knew that he was lying. 

You hit him with everything you had while tears continued to stream down your face. Lightning immobilized him while you picked his mind apart. Finally, he hit the deck, quite dead. 

“Anyone else?” You asked, looking over the group of spacers. They were silenced by the sight of you. 

Some of them shifted nervously while looking at each other. 

“Who’s the captain?” You then rasped, throat tight with emotion. 

Slowly, they pointed at Salan, and you then teleported him outside the ship, into space, and out of sight. 

‘Who’s captain now?” You asked, inquiring about the first mate. 

The crew all turned to the one individual who stepped forward, very slowly and cautiously. You could tell that she was female; she was tall, although not quite as tall as you, and was lithe, willowy even. 

She held a cudgel in one hand, and stopped at what she deemed a safe distance away, since your eyes and fingertips still glowed. 

“You. Kepptinn.”

It took you a moment to understand what she said, as you were sure your language implant had malfunctioned. 

“What was that?”

“Kepptinn.” She pointed at you. “Kepptinn.”

_Oh, ‘captain’._

“Are you first mate?” You asked, concentrating on what she said. “What’s your name?”

She nodded and said her name, which even with the translator was hard for you to pronounce. It sounded like “XO”, so you decided to try a nickname. 

_I’m sorry, I can’t say it correctly. Can I call you Exxo? On Earth it means executive officer, and kinda sounds like your name,_ You told her telepathically. 

Exxo nodded before answering. _Yes, I like it._

_Is there anyone here who will give me trouble?_

_No, we hated other captain. He broke the Code._

You sighed then smoothed your hair. “Show me to my quarters.”

Exxo nodded and motioned for you to follow her. You did so, but you were still wary, especially when several of the crew followed. You kept tabs on them telepathically while Exxo guided you through the ship. 

“Here. Kepptinn’s quarters.”

Exxo opened the doors and you realized immediately that she’d brought you to Salan’s cabin. You didn’t really care to sleep amongst a dead man’s belongings, so you asked her if there was an empty one that you could rest in.

So she took you to the one just across the hall, which was clean and clutter free. 

“This will do, for now,” you told her. “Seal the other one until I can go through it.”

“Rest, I will guard,” she told you. 

You nodded and waited for the door to close before sitting on the bed. Only then did you let your emotions run free. The purple in your eyes slowly faded; once your tears were finally spent, you fell asleep on the bed, thoroughly exhausted. 

— — —

When you awoke, you weren’t exactly sure how long you’d slept; it could have been days for all you knew. Once you started stirring, there was a soft ping at the door that you didn’t recognize until it sounded again. 

“Come!” You called out. 

Exxo came in with another crew mate behind her that carried a tray of food, which was deposited onto a table. The smell of the food reminded you that you haven’t eaten for at least a day. 

You climbed off the bed and then sat down at the table. Exxo poured water for you, then a pale pink liquid. 

“What’s that?”

“Wine.”

You remembered the wine that Loki had given you that nearly burned your lungs out; you started to pass on it but decided that you needed alcohol. 

“Sit?” You motioned to the empty chair while you tested the wine. It wasn’t anywhere near as strong as what you’ve tried before, so you emptied the glass. 

Exxo poured more for you before sitting down. She declined food, but watched while you ate. You were hungry, everything tasted good to you, and you ate more than you normally did. Finally, you sat back, after finishing the wine. 

“Hungry.” Exxo smiled tentatively at you. 

“Yes,” you replied, nodding. “So, what is the first order of business?”

“Talk to crew,” she said. “They have grievances.”

“Such as?”

“No pay for several jobs.”

“Really? That's not very nice,” you frowned. “Where did Salan keep his credits?”

“I’ll show you. Also, Stakar will want to meet you, since this ship is now yours.”

“Who’s that?”

“Chief of Ravagers.”

Exxo explained about the Ravagers, and about Salan breaking with them and the Code they operated under. She explained a lot to you about how Salan ran his ship, and you knew almost immediately what you would change. 

“Okay, first we will make sure everyone gets paid, then shore leave perhaps?”

“They like you already,” Exxo told you, smiling. 

“Will you teach me?” You asked. 

She nodded enthusiastically, causing you to smile in relief. You got up to stretch, then ran your fingers through your hair. 

“Are there any clothes here that will fit me?”

Again, she nodded while getting to her feet. “Follow?”

She showed you to a store room stuffed with clothes, boots and anything you could possibly need. She helped you find outfits, and you chose clothing in buff or sand colors, with boots just a bit darker. 

Exxo also gave you a matching helmet to use on planets that didn’t have sufficient oxygen. It fit behind your ear, and activated to cover your face with the press of a button.

Once you were satisfied with the clothes you’d picked out, you had her show you where Salan kept the credits he’d been hoarding. She explained how many crew members there were, and approximately how much they were owed. 

“Call them together for a meeting.”

“Whatever you want, Kepptinn.”

— — 

Your new ship was too big to land on a planet, so Exxo had docked it at a space station. She provided a list of repairs, getting your okay before starting the work. 

Most of the crew were already gone for a few days’ R&R you didn’t want to leave the ship, and Exxo wouldn’t go without you, despite your urging. So, you had her show you the entire ship, and ended up at Salan’s cabin, which was still sealed. 

Together, you went through everything, returning some items to the storage room, and setting aside valuable artifacts that could possibly have a reward on them. These were then locked in the brig for safe keeping. 

You both searched diligently for any hidden compartments until you were sure you’d found them all. Exxo was instructed to let the crew take anything they wanted, and if the artifacts had any kind of reward, it would be split among them.

Once finished, you asked Exxo to have it cleaned. It was larger than the one she’d shown you to, so you decided to move into it, after all traces of Salan were removed. 

— — — 

You’d now been captain for several weeks. Your crew was becoming fiercely loyal, and your ship was renamed to _Corsair._

Exxo had already researched the artifacts that had been in Salan’s cabin, finding that they all carried a reward for their return, so you had her contact their owners to set up the meetings. 

True to your word, you split the rewards from the items that had already been returned, and the ship was on course for another meeting. Exxo made sure that enough credits were kept for food and to operate the ship, but the crew was happy that they were getting paid regularly. 

Exxo turned out to be a great help to you, teaching you about the ship, how to negotiate better, and more about the Ravagers, since Stakar Ogord and a couple other high ranked Ravagers had requested a meeting. You decided to meet with them after finishing the business with the artifacts. 

In turn, you told her about Loki, but being careful not to tell her too much about him or what you were capable of. There was also something else you kept from her, as you weren’t certain yet, but you suspected you would know for sure in a few weeks’ time. 

You knew that Loki wouldn’t voluntarily go back to Asgard unless he intended to take the throne, so he was likely just going to other planets to refuel and to create a little ruckus. He definitely wouldn’t return to Earth by his own volition. 

Exxo understood that you wanted to find him, so she put out feelers with other Ravagers, asking them to keep an eye out for him. 

— — —

Two months later, you had your answer when morning sickness hit with a vengeance. Nothing would stay down, but Exxo eventually found something that you could eat. 

She was miffed that you’d didn’t tell her sooner, but you explained that you hadn’t been sure. She felt a little better after that, but told you in no uncertain terms that you were to tell her if anything didn’t feel right; she also had brought a healer onboard to check on you. 

Once the crew learned your “secret”, they grew more protective, insisting that you remain on the ship when possible. 

— — —

After your first few months on the _Corsair_ , word spread through the sector about a new captain that took no nonsense from anyone. Rumors also spread that no one ever saw this captain’s face, except select crew members, and that the captain was powerful. 

Your crew also elaborated on the rumors and when asked, said that they’d never seen Kepptinn’s face either. 

While you still didn't want to hurt anyone unnecessarily, you had no qualms about delivering prisoners or escapees to authorities. If they caused trouble, they were dealt with. No muss, no fuss. 

Exxo helped you to modify your helmet so that you could cover only the lower part of your face when you wanted, then could lower the shield for your eyes when needed. The visor had the effect of enhancing the purple glow if you got upset. You also took to wearing gloves to add to the mystery. 

Whenever you had to address anyone, you spoke through Exxo, with your mask in place. She and the crew thought it funny that a cloud of mystery had developed around you and the _Corsair_ , and they perpetuated it. 

Finally, you were in a sector where a meeting with Stakar and other Ravagers could be scheduled, and you were a bit apprehensive. Ravagers were more or less a criminal element, and you had always been law-abiding. At least until you had stolen Loki from Stark Tower, or liberated him, rather, since he didn’t object. 

You decided that you would continue the habit of speaking through Exxo, with your mask in place, until you had a chance to study the Ravager bosses. Then you could decide whether to address them directly. 

— — —

Exxo led you to the conference room on Stakar’s ship. She had also chosen one of the _Corsair’s_ crew members as a second guard for you. They were each armed with a blaster, while you were glaringly unarmed. 

You weren’t really showing yet, although you did have to get new clothes from the storeroom, and you selected items that would camouflage your thick waist. 

You sat in the chair that you were directed to, then waited until the men got uneasy enough to talk first. They each shifted in their seats, feeling your mental touch but not really recognizing what was happening. 

There were a total of three men, along with their guards or first mates, and you nodded at each when they introduced themselves. 

“And your name is?”

“My name is not important. I go by Kepptinn now,” Exxo relayed your response. 

“But that’s your title, not a name,” Stakar said, leaning back in his chair while he studied you. “You do have a _name,_ do you not?”

You tapped the fingers of one hand on the table in irritation, and Stakar could swear that you had glowing eyes. The other men grew quiet while they waited. 

_You may call me ‘Kyrie’ then, if you insist on a name._

“Okay, uh, Kyrie, what’s with the mask? We usually meet face to face -“ One of the others asked, while peering at you closely. 

You huffed and rose to your feet, ready to leave. There was work to do for your crew so that you could pay them. And there was still the matter of Loki. 

_If my lack of a name and the mask concern you so much, I will return to my ship. You requested the meeting and I’m sure there are more important things you wanted to discuss._

“You’re right, please sit down.” 

After a couple of minutes, you sat back down and leaned back in your chair. 

_What other questions do you have, other than ones concerning my name or mask? Keep in mind that I will not answer if I feel they’re irrelevant._

You grinned when it became obvious that they didn’t know what to make of you. You could even sense Exxo’s amusement. 

_Careful,_ you warned her, even though you were ready to laugh. 

_Of course._

You listened while Stakar and the others told you about the operations of the Ravagers, and that you could take Salan’s place once you’d earned it. You weren’t certain that you wanted to join the fold, so to speak. 

“Why should I work so hard to earn his place? He had already broken from you and went his own way,” you asked, deciding to speak directly to them. “What is the benefit of that?”

“Because we help each other and..”

“You mean to take a cut from any credits that I earn, yes?”

“No. Your first mate can fill you in, but we don’t steal from each other, nor do we deal in stealing or selling children for any reason.”

“I would agree about the children,” you responded, quietly. “I will think about it, but for now, I have -“

“And there is the matter of locating your travel partner who turned you over to Salan.”

“Wh-what?” Your gloved hand clenched into a fist and the men were definitely unsettled when the visor of your helmet started to change from smoke colored to purple. Exxo shifted uneasily and debated whether to risk speaking to you to try to cause a distraction. 

“We can help you find him.”

“I can do that on my own.”

“The galaxy is a very large place; it could take years for you to accidentally come across him.”

You knew that to be true, but suspected that if one of them found Loki first, they would ask a hefty reward for him. It would be better for you to find him first; when you did, he was in for a world of hurt. 

“I will consider it,” you finally replied, rising to your feet. “For now, I have my crew to take care of. They’ve not been paid properly for some time and I mean to rectify that.”

— — —

Once you were back aboard _Corsair,_ you hurried to your quarters, with Exxo rushing to keep up with you. Once there, you closeted yourself in the bathroom. 

Exxo ordered food to be brought, quickly, while she waited for you. 

“Sorry.” You finally came out while wiping your face with a wet cloth. 

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” she replied, handing you a glass. 

“What’s this?” 

“Juice,” she replied, offering it again.

You accepted it and took a tentative sip before drinking it all. She poured more for you, then moved to open the door when the food arrived. When she motioned toward the table, you tiredly sat down to eat. Your stomach was doing flips so you ate slowly until you were certain that the food would stay down. 

“What’s upset you?” She asked. 

“Loki,” you sighed. “And the thought that it could take years to find him.”

“When the time is right, he will find you.”

“Yes,” you responded. “I need to rest for a bit. Please set course for Sovereign and let’s hear about those batteries.”

— — —

Once you were alone, you laid on your bed and stared at the ceiling. Loki was in the back of your mind every day. Thoughts of him while you were alone invariably led to tears; your emotions would shift from anger to hurt, then to shame that you had so easily fallen for him after setting him free. 

Maybe you had been better off in the containment unit at Avengers Tower. You knew that there was no going back, as a simple apology wouldn’t spare you from retribution. Loki let loose on Earth was dangerous but him at large in space, with a ship, was simply disastrous. 

Your thoughts were in such turmoil that the entire crew felt the upheaval; Exxo would have come back to your cabin to check on you, but she was on bridge duty, so she stayed where she was. 

After a time, you fell asleep and the crew breathed a sigh of relief. 

— — —

After meeting with the Sovereign High Priestess regarding stolen Anulax batteries, you decided to take on the task of finding the thief and gathering as many of the batteries as you could. 

The theft was still fairly recent, so you hoped to find the thief _with_ the batteries, which would save a lot of time and credits. Exxo helped to put out inquiries about anyone selling the batteries or for someone who suddenly acquired them. 

The job took another six months, but you and your crew finished it. You had the thief and all but one battery to return to the Sovereign, who paid the reward gratefully. 

From there, you decided to concentrate on collecting bounties and became good at it. You didn’t care to steal anything, and the crew was happy to track down the wanted criminals. You rarely had to leave the ship, to your relief. 

To save time and resources, you’d capture as many as you could in one go, then would deliver them before starting the circuit again. Your crew was divided into teams, then you'd leave them until they had several captures. 

On occasion, you would have to fight off another bounty hunter; if the crew couldn’t handle it, then you would step in. Word slowly circulated about Kepptinn and the crew of the _Corsair,_ and more business was sent your way, enough that you could pick and choose which ones you took. 

— — — 

Once again, you & Exxo stayed aboard _Corsair_ while the crew was on R&R. She reviewed the job offers that needed a decision, then recommended the ones to accept. 

By the time the crew returned, they were ready to get back to work. One of the crew came to the bridge to speak to Exxo, and handed her a small crate. 

“What’s that?” You asked, when she brought it to you. 

“Samel has a surprise, and gift, for you,” she replied, with a smile. 

You took the crate and opened it carefully. A small blue-grey head popped out, and it meowed. 

“Oh! A kitten!” You took the cat into your hands. It meowed again then began to purr loudly. 

“It’s a Flerkin,” Samel corrected. 

“A what?” 

“Flerkin, not a cat.”

Samel explained what a Flerkin was, and how to take care of it. You were concerned that it might be dangerous as it grew, but Samel and Exxo assured you that if it was treated well, there was no danger. 

“What about with Wyatt?” you asked. 

“No danger to him.”

“Okay. Thank you, Samel,” you told him. “It’s a lovely gift.”

He nodded before bowing slightly and leaving. Exxo scratched the kitten’s head as it crawled up to perch on your shoulder, then she laughed when it surveyed the bridge as if it owned the place. 

“I’ll have to think of a good name for him,” you said, thoughtfully. 

Exxo agreed as she continued to stroke the kitten. 

“Alright, Exxo, please get us underway. I’ll be back in a while.”

— — —

You slipped quietly into your stateroom with the Flerkin. Emmi, one of the crew, sat on the floor playing with a small child. You observed for a moment, then the kitten’s meow got their attention. 

When you sat on the floor near them, the boy came over to you. 

“Hey, sweetpea,” you murmured, kissing his forehead. “Lookee what I have.”

The little boy reached out a hand to touch the Flerkin, then grinned at the feel of the soft fur. 

“Be careful, be very careful,” you instructed, while guiding his hand to show how to pet it.

After a moment, you pulled him into your lap, then put the kitten on his legs where he could continue to touch it. It was such a peaceful moment, that you couldn’t help but hug the boy. 

“Mama loves you, Wyatt,” you whispered.

“Wuv yoo,” the child responded. 

Wyatt was just under two years old now, with dark hair, green eyes and the sweetest disposition. He was easy going, rarely cried, and the entire crew of the _Corsair_ would die while protecting him. 

The kitten jumped down to explore the room, with Wyatt walking unsteadily behind it. When it jumped onto the bed, it hid underneath a pillow, then playfully jumped out at him, making him giggle gleefully. 

“He’s playing peekaboo, sweetpea,” you said, smiling at the sight. 

“Boo!” Wyatt tried his own version of the game, and cackled when the kitten got the zoomies and ran around the perimeter of the bed. 

The game continued for a few more minutes before something else got the kitten’s attention. Wyatt was fascinated with the animal for a while until he returned to you.

“We will have to give him a good name,” you commented, while running your fingers over Wyatt’s hair. 

“Where Boo?” Wyatt asked.

“Boo?” You laughed in delight when Wyatt had apparently chosen a name already. “Boo, it is then.”

You got up and lifted Wyatt into your arms, hugging him again. 

“Emmi, I’ll be back in a bit, are you alright with having a Flerkin nearby?”

“Of course,” she replied. “They are gentle unless mistreated.”

— — —

Several weeks after getting Boo, you were in your cabin with Wyatt when Exxo contacted you from the bridge. 

“Kepptinn, there is distress signal from a small ship that’s nearby,” she told you. “Permission to assist?”

“Of course,” you told her. “Any weapons on it?”

“None, it’s a passenger ship.”

“Go ahead, I’ll be down shortly.”

— — — 

Exxo took the _Corsair_ to intercept the smaller ship, noting that there didn’t seem to be much damage. It was more likely that it had simply run out of fuel. She locked the tractor beam onto it so that it could be towed into the large cargo bay. 

Once the ship was onboard, Exxo and a small group of crew waited until the occupant lowered the hatch to exit. 

“Thank you for your help…”

Exxo drew a sharp breath when she immediately recognized the man who now stood on the deck. 

— —

Loki was grateful that the captain of the _Corsair_ had agreed to help him, and wary, of course. He was embarrassed that he’d let the _Sparrow_ run out of fuel; he’d stopped at a space station to get more, but before he could get enough for a long trip, he had to leave abruptly. 

Another hunter had caught up to him, as he had a bounty on him from several planets due to stolen fuel. He always managed to talk his way out of confinement, but since he really had no place where he could stop and lay low, he had no choice but to keep moving. 

He realized that it was only a matter of time before he was caught up to again, and now here he was, stranded, and picked up by a much larger ship. 

Now he was faced with a group of about twenty spacers, and none of them looked very friendly. His gaze swept over them, until one of them stepped forward. 

“Kepptinn will greet you shortly,” Exxo said. “Please wait here.”

“Kepptinn?” Loki repeated. “The captain?”

“Kepptinn,” she repeated, before whispering in Samel’s ear. “Keep him here and in sight while I get her.”

— — 

While Exxo headed to retrieve you, she worried about how you would react now that Loki had practically fallen into your lap. She went to your cabin, and brought Emmi along. 

“It’s onboard already?” You asked, while giving Wyatt over to Emmi. 

“Yes, it wasn’t very far away,” Exxo replied. “I told the captain that you would greet him shortly.”

You nodded after giving Wyatt a quick kiss on the temple. 

“You and Boo behave for Emmi,” you told him while giving him a little tickle. 

“Kay-kay.”

— — 

On the way to the cargo bay, you could sense that Exxo was upset about something. 

“What’s wrong?”

It took several minutes before she could reply. “It’s him.”

“What?”

“It’s him, Loki...he was on the ship.”

You stopped dead in your tracks, then leaned against the corridor wall. She was quite certain that you were going to faint. 

“Are you alright?”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yes.”

You took a deep breath, trying to get control of yourself. It had been over two years since he’d locked you in the escape pod and jettisoned it while he made his escape. 

You had promised him that you would make him pay for that, and you intended to keep your promise.

— — 

Loki waited patiently for the captain to arrive at the cargo bay. He’d tried to make conversation with some of the crew, but they never responded to him. 

Finally, there was movement as the group slowly parted when a tall, masked figure walked through them, followed by the woman who had first greeted him. 

Loki watched curiously before a tendril of lightning circled his ankles, while at the same time a sphere of energy hit him square in the chest, knocking him off balance. He fell heavily to his back when his feet were pulled out from under him. 

He groaned, then gave a soft laugh when the masked figure leaned over to look at him. 

“I’ve missed you, too, pet,” he said.

You deactivated your mask while keeping your eyes on him. Finally, you turned to Exxo. 

“Bring him,” you told her, before you walked away without a backwards glance. 

_Bring him to my quarters but give me time to have Emmi take Wyatt with her. Samel, disable that ship, but don’t make it obvious._

Loki was hoisted to his feet when Exxo motioned toward him, then she too turned to lead the way without speaking to him again. He was led through the corridors until they reached a stateroom. 

Once deposited inside, he was left alone. Loki looked around the comfortable room, noting the large bed in one corner and a small table in a different one, which had a tray of sliced fruit, cheese and chilled wine. 

He poured wine for himself, then selected fruit from the tray. When you came into the stateroom, he turned to look at you. 

“Excuse me for a moment,” you told him. “Help yourself to the fruit. If you’re hungry, I’ll order more.”

Before he could reply, though, you went into the bathroom and closed the door. When you emerged, you wore silky leggings and a long tunic and your feet were bare. 

“You’re looking well,” you commented while serving yourself from the tray. 

“So are you,” Loki replied. 

You looked the same to him, with a slight difference: your hair was now completely grey, with a purple undertone. You kept it cut short, where the ends barely touched your shoulders. 

Loki thought you were more beautiful than you were two years ago, and he truly _was_ glad to see you.

“Can we talk?” He asked, a little uneasily. 

“What about?” You asked, while accepting the glass of wine he offered. 

“I’d like to explain why-“ 

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” you interrupted with a smile. “That’s in the past, right?”

“Right,” he replied. “But still, will you listen?”

“If you insist,” you shrugged. 

You sat at the table to eat, and he joined you. He poured more wine for the both of you, then leaned forward. 

“I’m sorry that things went the way they did,” he started. 

When you said nothing, he continued. “I must admit that I didn’t plan properly for the cost of a ship, fuel, and food, so resorted to what I was familiar with: stealing if necessary.”

You nodded but kept silent. Loki watched while you ate before he continued. 

“All the time that I spent teaching you how to handle a ship, and how to defend yourself, had a purpose. I wanted you to be able to continue on without me, if it came to that.”

Still, you said nothing, just waited for him to say what was on his mind. You listened so that you could choose your words, knowing that you had to be careful not to lie to him because he would know instantly. 

“I would never have left you behind like that, and especially wouldn’t have sold you...I only agreed to that so that we could fuel the ship...Salan caught me by surprise, and the escape pod was a bad idea…”

You realized that he was telling the truth, or as much of it as he was willing to share. 

“I see,” you responded. “Well, then everything worked out fine, didn’t it?”

“I suppose.” Loki wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or wary of your attitude. 

“So, where are you headed to next?”

“I’m not sure. I still need fuel…”

“I will help you with that,” you told him. “I do need to make a couple of stops first, though.”

“Of course.” 

You could tell that he was confused by your reaction to him; he’d expected something quite different. 

Unknown to anyone but Exxo and yourself, you’d kept checking to see if any bounties came up for Loki. You knew that he’d be very hard to capture, due to his intelligence and seidr, but someone was bound to get lucky at some point. 

Reports of stolen fuel followed Loki as he moved across the galaxy, along with bounties by the ones who wanted their money. There were several reports that gave you pause, since you’d been offered as payment to at least three dockmasters. 

Exxo watched while you sat in stunned silence at what she’d uncovered. Loki had told you that he wouldn’t sell you, but deep down you knew if there was a choice between his freedom and you, he would preserve his own skin. You couldn’t blame him, really, if one of the consequences was to return to Asgard’s dungeons and possibly face execution. 

After that, you paid Loki’s debts once the dockmasters agreed to cancel any outstanding bounties. Instead, you put your own bounty out for him, with the stipulation that Loki would be brought to you _alive._ It would take time for the change to filter through the galaxy, but you and Exxo were sure that it was now just a matter of time before he was found. 

Now he was telling you that he never intended to sell you, he had just spun lies like he’d always done. You weren’t entirely convinced, but you did feel better that perhaps he hadn’t used you after all. 

“Do you require more food?” You asked, after a couple of minutes. 

“Not at the moment,” he replied. 

When you got up from the table, he started to do the same, but he was stunned when you sat on his lap. One arm slid around his shoulders while your free hand caressed his jaw, then throat. 

His hands tentatively rested on your waist and leg, and his eyes closed when you found the sensitive spot near his ear. 

“I _have_ missed you,” you whispered, against his jaw. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Loki relaxed with a sigh when you ran your fingers through his hair. You pressed your forehead to his temple while you breathed in his scent, just relishing the close contact and familiar smell.

— — —

“Sir?” Jarvis got Tony’s attention while the team had gathered for an early lunch. 

“Yeah, buddy?”

“There are visitors on the promenade,” came the reply. 

“On the - how’d they - “

Tony led the way until they all stood across from three visitors, one of whom was Loki. His wrists were bound by chains and shackled to his waist. From the look on his face, he was absolutely furious. 

“I have a gift for you.”

“What happened, Reindeer Games? You made her mad, did you?” Tony couldn’t help but laugh just a little. 

Loki growled and struggled against the chain; he was angry enough to strangle Tony regardless of the consequences. 

“Who are you, friend?” Thor asked. 

You deactivated your mask but didn’t approach any of them; you did touch them all telepathically to see if anyone had alerted SHIELD. You had already decided to keep your distance, because any of them would be quick to try to detain or even drug you. 

They all stood in shocked silence for a few minutes before Natasha took a couple steps forward. 

“No.” You raised your hand to stop her. 

“You’ve changed,” she said, softly. 

“Yeah, well, lots of things have happened,” you replied, taking a moment to move in front of Loki. 

You reached up to touch his face, then tiptoed to kiss him, but he wouldn’t unbend enough to allow that. 

_Don’t be like that. You told me once that you weren’t easily outgamed, remember?_ You told him. _At first, I was angry enough to take you to Asgard, but I changed my mind. I don’t want you locked away from daylight and especially don’t want you to be executed. You’re much safer here._

Loki nodded slightly, then did soften enough to allow you to press your head against his. 

_I love you, and it’s alright if you don’t love me back,_ you went on. _I needed you more than you needed me, at least until I got you off-planet. And I do thank you for teaching me to be self-sufficient before we parted._

“Kepptinn?” Exxo caught your attention while you removed Loki’s shackles, then handed them to her in exchange for the item she had held out to you. 

“Kepptinn?” Bucky asked. “What’s that?”

 _“Captain,”_ Loki responded, tersely, while he straightened his shirt. “That’s what they call her.”

“Who’s ‘they’?” Steve asked. 

“Her ship’s crew.” Loki’s mood lightened a bit when he was able to tell the others something that they didn’t know. 

“And you have a ship?” Tony asked. “There’s a story there.”

“Another time, perhaps,” you replied, not wanting to be off the ship any longer than necessary. “Would you or Jarvis be willing to update Exxo’s iPod? The crew has listened to all ten thousand songs, and want something new.”

“Ten thousand?”

“Yeah, it’s for karaoke night,” you replied, with a slight shrug. 

“I’m speechless, but sure. Jarvis?”

“Done, sir.”

“Thank you,” you told him, then to Exxo: _Are you ready?_

_You’re not going to tell him? He will never forgive you if you don’t._

_Maybe another time._

_Eeee, who is that??_

You grinned at the awe in her voice when Thor moved to Loki’s side. 

_That's Thor, his brother._

_He’s_ **_big_** _! I wouldn’t want either of them mad at me,_ she said, cajoling. 

_Alright, you’ve made your point._

You looked at each person on the promenade, studying them briefly. Then you did another mental scan to be sure that there were no other people approaching the Avenger level. 

_I have someone that I want you all to meet, but before I bring him down, I want it understood that if anyone makes any inappropriate moves toward us, I will level this building from the top down. And SHIELD had better_ **_not_ ** _show their faces._

“Alright, you’ve got me curious,” Tony agreed. 

After a burst of cool air, Samel appeared just slightly behind you, with your child in his arms. You turned to take Wyatt, who was taken with the sight of new people to meet. 

“This is Wyatt, my son,” you said, hesitantly. _Our son._

Loki gave a start before his eyes quickly scanned over you and the boy. You remained where you were, carefully watching his reaction. 

“Thor...Wyatt is your nephew.”

Thor was clearly surprised, but his smile eased your misgivings, and you smiled back. 

“Could I?” Thor asked, indicating that he wanted to hold Wyatt. “I promise, no funny stuff.”

You stifled a laugh at that; clearly Thor had been around Tony too much. 

“Alright,” you agreed. 

You met Thor halfway before allowing him to take Wyatt, and ignored Exxo’s appreciative gasp. You could understand her reaction, since Thor was easily twice her height. 

Thor held Wyatt carefully, and chuckled when the child reached up to touch his face and to pull on a lock of blonde hair. Wyatt grinned at him before looking over at Loki. 

“Loki?” You said, making a motion with your hand. 

He reached for his son, who was more than willing to go to him. Loki touched the fine, dark hair while Wyatt returned the favor by grabbing a fistful of Loki’s hair. 

“He’s a fine boy,” Thor said. 

“Yes.”

After a few minutes, you reached for Wyatt, noting that Loki was reluctant to release him, but he did without a fuss. Samel took him from you, then you teleported them back to the ship.

”You won’t stay?” He asked 

“Not as long as there are those who wish to control me; I have Wyatt to consider.”

You tiptoed to kiss Thor’s cheek while tucking something into his belt. He took a quick look at it before slipping the communicator further out of sight. 

_When he’s ready._

You looked up at Loki, with tears brimming your eyes. He gently pulled you close to his chest and held you to him. 

“You should have told me,” he said, his breath tickling your ear. 

“And I would have,” you replied. 

He finally let you step back, and you zapped his butt to be sure that he hadn’t cast an illusion and to aggravate him a bit. Tony chuckled when you did so, and Loki rolled his eyes. 

_I love you,_ you told him again before disappearing with Exxo. 

_Never forget that I love you._

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments?


End file.
